BJD supporters campaign ahead of the corporation polls in Cuttack on Monday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 20: Dissident activities in the BJD have come to the fore over choice of candidates for the forthcoming municipal elections.

Grassroots workers are feeling betrayed and dissidence in the party has become public in several wards with councillors or their spouses taking on official candidates. And they are in no mood to withdraw their nominations.

According to the poll schedule, candidates can withdraw their papers by 3pm on January 24 and the final list of contesting candidates will be made public by 5pm on the same day.

The BJD has not given tickets to 38 of its 40 councillors.

“I was elected as an Independent candidate in 2003. I was re-elected as a BJD candidate in 2009. There is no option left (under pressure from supporters) but to test popularity among the people of the ward after party denied me ticket from a ward I have nurtured for 10 years,” said Pradipta Kishore Khuntia, whose ward No. 44 has been reserved for women after delimitation.

Pradipta’s wife Chitra Khuntia filed her papers to contest from the ward after his application for a party ticket to his wife had been rejected.

BJD councillors Bijay Kumar Khandei, whose wife Kabita Khandei filed papers to contest as an Independent candidate from ward No. 47, echoed the same.

Apart from ward Nos. 44 and 47, the election of candidates may prove costly for the party in eight other wards, said a party insider.

BJD councillor Jotirmayee Behera said: “Over the past five years, I had strived hard to ensure development. My supporters were disappointed when the party ticket went to an unknown figure. There was pressure from them to contest. So my daughter-in-law has filed her papers to contest from my ward as an Independent candidate.”

Jotirmayee’s ward No. 38, which was reserved for women, has gone to backward class candidates after delimitation. Incidentally, her daughter-in-law Sumitra Sahoo, a sitting BJD councillor of ward No. 7, had also been denied party ticket from the ward.

BJD leader and Choudwar Cuttack MLA Pravat Biswal said: “Tickets to sitting councillors or their spouses were not recommended by the screening committee on grounds of their alleged involvement in the post-Phailin relief scam.”

BJD councillor Hrushikesh Deuri said: “…my name was not linked to the cyclone relief scam. Then why was the party ticket for my ward given to a nonentity?” Hrushikesh’s wife Sangita Rout filed her papers to contest from as Independent candidate from ward No. 6 after his application for a party ticket to his wife had been denied.

Selection of “outsiders” without considering the aspirations of members, who have been with the BJD for a decade, has also triggered resentment in the party. Councillor Laxmipriya Samantaray said: “I had joined the BJD after getting elected as an Independent candidate in 2009. But, I was not given a ticket after my ward No. 31, which had been reserved for women, got unreserved after delimitation. My supporters were disappointed as the ticket went to a person, who had jumped from the Congress recently.”

Both Laxmipriya and her husband have filed their papers as Independent candidates from ward No. 13.

“My wife will withdraw her nomination. But I will contest from the ward,” said Jitendra Samantaray, who had contested on a BJD ticket in 2003 and lost by 42 votes.

Party workers are also peeved over tickets going to Jaydev Jena (former CPM city unit secretary, who had joined BJD), Ashok Sharma (Congress councillor who had joined BJD recently) and Ramzan Khan, who had switched over from the Congress to the BJD for ward Nos. 40, 23 and 16, respectively.

BJD leader and mayor Saumendra Ghose, however, said: “It is unfortunate that some councillors have challenged the decision of party leader and chief minister Naveen Patnaik. But other parties, especially the Congress, should not hope to gain from it as such dissident activities will not affect our poll prospects.”